SINGAPORE: Mr Yeo Guat Kwang, chairman of the
Migrant Workers' Centre, suggested Singaporeans' foreign spouses
could help reduce the country's dependence on foreign
labour.
He made the proposal at a Deepavali celebration for
foreign workers on Sunday.
"At the moment, all our employers are looking to
other countries with the help of intermediaries to bring in foreign
workers. But in fact, in Singapore, many locals have foreign
spouses," said Mr Yeo.
"We will also request for MOM to provide the similar level of
training support for the foreign spouses to help them because they
give us Singaporean children, and they are with Singaporeans," he
added.
Mr Yeo said the Manpower Ministry has already implemented schemes
to make it easier for foreign spouses to work in Singapore.
When they apply for work permits, they are not subjected to quotas,
restrictions from country source, and they do not pay any
levies.
Separately, Mr Yeo said Singapore should aim for a foreign
workforce that has quality and not quantity.
He urged the Ministry to set a qualification requirement for those
seeking work permit renewals.
He said a better-skilled workforce would be more productive and
cost-efficient for the economy and better-educated workers would
also be less prone to abuse.
He said that over the last three years, he has seen a large
increase in the number of distressed foreign workers - from 1,200
to 1,500 a year. Many are low-skilled and vulnerable.
- CNA/xq
